Dominik Szoboszlai hands Arne Slot unexpected Liverpool decision as three players close on return

Liverpool boss Arne Slot will have decision to make over where to play Dominik Szoboszlai against Burnley on Sunday afternoon

Liverpool will be resplendent in a brand spanking new green third kit against Burnley on Sunday afternoon. But exactly who will step out at Turf Moor in the new colours in one position in particular remains of intrigue to Reds supporters.

And it isn’t the debate over whether Alexander Isak, having made his long-waited return to action for Sweden on Monday, is thrown straight into the starting line-up for an immediate debut following his £125million arrival from Newcastle United.

Not that it is a headache for the Reds boss. Far from it.

That he has options to fill the sizeable breach left by the influential Alexander-Arnold allows Slot both tactical versatility and, as has been shown in recent weeks, an unexpected strength in depth in the role.

The emergence of Dominik Szoboszlai as a right-back alternative perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise given the Hungarian has long shown his versatility, both during his previous two seasons at Liverpool and his other club and international career.

And his tactical and positional awareness, not to mention relentless engine, meant Szoboszlai was never going to have too many issues adapting.

What nobody could have forecast, however, was the speed at which he has fully embraced an unaccustomed role in which, for Liverpool at least, previous exposure had been restricted to an outing in the pre-season behind-closed-doors thumping of Stoke City in July at the AXA Training Centre.

Szoboszlai was the Reds’ man-of-the-match in the dramatic win over Newcastle United, finding the energy in the closing moments when, having been restored to midfield in the final stages of the game, he dummied Mohamed Salah’s pass to invite teenager Rio Ngumoha to score the winner.

And even before his superb free-kick winner at home to Arsenal last time out, the 24-year-old was already by some distance Liverpool’s stellar performer on the afternoon.

“He’s always been the player that I think understands what a Liverpool player should look like,” said Slot afterwards. “If you wear this shirt, you should give everything no matter in what position you play.

“Unbelievable game from him in the position he probably played only two or three times in his life, so it tells you a lot about the mentality he has.

Szoboszlai is very much a confidence and momentum player. That was seen during his debut season when, after a strong start to the campaign, he suffered injury and never truly regained rhythm after that.

It means, even allowing for his exertions with Hungary, Szoboszlai is likely to be among the first names on the teamsheet at Turf Moor.

Whether or not that is at right-back will depend much on the fitness of the regular alternatives. Jeremie Frimpong, the summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, hasn’t featured since departing an hour into the Premier League opener against Bournemouth almost a month ago, but Slot expects the Holland international to return after the current international break.

Conor Bradley has had just a brief cameo at Newcastle this season due to injury, but played 76 minutes for Northern Ireland in their win in Luxembourg on Thursday and then the full 90 in Sunday’s defeat in Germany.

Joe Gomez, meanwhile, has had two substitute appearances but will be a lot closer to a start having had a further two weeks training working on his fitness.